Weekly Field Crops Pest Report 2012

October 12, 2012, Volume 11 Number 25

The Weekly Field Crops Pest Report is coming to an end for 2012. This will be the last issue of the season. This was a very active year for pest issues on field crops including true armyworm at epidemic levels, black cutworm, potato leafhopper at epidemic levels, grey leaf spot, northern corn leaf blight, a new virus soybean vein necrosis virus found statewide, sudden death syndrome in soybeans, etc. Many Extension Educators, Cornell Faculty, field scouts, and industry personnel contributed with observations photos and even articles. The importance of these inputs cannot be over emphasized for their enhancements to the timely value of the report.

We will soon be sending our subscribers a survey via email to solicit feedback regarding perspectives on the usefulness of this publication to your efforts and suggestions for how to improve the report next season. We hope you will take time to complete and return the survey. We take your comments and suggestions seriously and have incorporated many of your suggestions to improve the publication over the years. Thank you for your interest. Hopefully we will see you next year!

Harvest is upon us and it’s getting close to the time where the crops will be in the bin, bale, or tucked in for the winter. Remember the pre-season planning, early season warm up, the planting scramble, its successes and challenges, the late spring frost, true armyworms, drought, potato leafhopper, deer and birds, crop diseases, equipment issues, etc.? The list goes on….

Every year is different and hopefully we’ve learned something new. While this summer is still fresh in mind it’s a great exercise to ask yourself a few key questions to review what went right and what went wrong this season… Take a few minutes to capture season highlights, lessons learned, and other facts and observations while updating your crop records and field histories. A sharp pencil is much better than a dull memory! Based on what happened this year, it’s a good bet there are at least some things you know you could do or change to improve your farm’s performance next year.

Some questions to get started: How well did the weed control program work? Were you satisfied with the performance of the varieties and hybrids used? Were field “problems” identified correctly? Were there any new crop diseases? Were any problems only found in certain fields or areas within fields? Thoughts on why? Were areas sampled? How effective was your early warning or rapid response system – i.e. were you able to head off situations before they hurt yield or quality? Did you run into anything new or unusual? Were there any fields with yields much lower or higher than expected? Any thoughts on why? How effective were any pest management actions taken? Did you have any check (no treat) areas to evaluate effectiveness of any pest management actions taken? Were there major successes, or do some areas need improvement?

Documenting your crop protection decisions and their effects provides critical feedback for assessing the value and impact of actions taken and for optimizing future management decisions. Did they make or save you money? Are there any “action items” to put on the “To Do” list to improve your pest management next season? Which activities / actions worked well?....stick with them. Which practices were less than successful? Why?....improve them, or replace them. Is there any new information available?....evaluate and incorporate. What’s the question(s) you will bring to the next grower meeting?

Hope these suggestions have been helpful. There certainly has been a variety of pests to write about this year. Ken and I have really enjoyed working on this years’ Weekly Field Crop Pest Report and hope you have found the report helpful.

We wish you a safe, bountiful and profitable harvest season! Until next year!

Last week temperatures ranged from 0 to over 3 degrees above normal for most of the state, western NY was 0 to 3 degrees below normal. Rainfall amounts ranged from a trace to 2 inches; the highest amounts were in the Great Lakes, St Lawrence Valley, and Northern Plateau regions. The Base 50 growing degree-days ranged from 25 to 50, less than 25 in the Adirondack region.

Today will be sunny with temperatures in the 50’s. A few lingering showers will move out of the area by midday. Overnight temperatures will be in the low 30’s to low 40’s. Friday will be mostly cloudy with scattered showers as a cold front moves through early in the day, then some clearing. Highs will be in the mid 40’s to low 50’s. Lows will be in 20’s – widespread frost is expected. (end of growing season everywhere) Saturday will be sunny with temperatures ranging in the 50’s, still below normal. Lows will range from the mid 30’s to low 40’s. Some showers are expected Saturday night associated with a warm front. Sunday highs will be in the upper 50’s to mid 60’s with scattered showers. Overnight temperatures will be in the upper 40’s to low 50’s. Monday will mostly cloudy with temperatures in the upper 50’s to mid 60’s and a chance for scattered showers. Lows will be in the mid 30’s to low 40’s.. Tuesday will be partly sunny with temperatures in the upper 50’s to low 60’s. Lows will be in the mid 30’s to low 40’s. Wednesday will be partly sunny with temperatures in the low to mid 60’s. Lows will be in the upper 30’s to low 40’s..

The five-day precipitation amounts will range from 1/10 of an inch to 1 inch. The 8-14 day (Oct 18-24) out look is showing above normal temperatures and precipitation. Drought Monitor update: The depiction of abnormally dry conditions (D0) across the Great Lakes region of New York was modified in response to light-to-moderate rains (0.5 -1.5 inches). Near the eastern shores of Lake Ontario, the area of D0 was trimmed, while slight expansion was included just east of the Rochester area.

If you are unable to reach a Poison Control Center or obtain the information your doctor needs, the office of the NYS Pesticide Coordinator at Cornell University, 607-255-1866, may be able to assist you in obtaining such information.

NYS IPM on:

These pages are maintained by the New York State IPM Program, part of Cornell Cooperative Extension. All material is protected by Section 107 of the 1976 copyright law. Copyright is held by Cornell University and the New York State IPM Program.